


A Cheery Coulson Christmas with Clint

by kultiras, pyroblaze18 (kultiras)



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Domestic Fluff, Family Feels, Family Fluff, M/M, Mother-Son Relationship, POV Outsider, holiday fic, without much of the holidays at all
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-23
Updated: 2013-12-23
Packaged: 2018-01-05 09:07:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1092115
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kultiras/pseuds/kultiras, https://archiveofourown.org/users/kultiras/pseuds/pyroblaze18
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When their plans change at the last minute, Clint and Phil are able to spend the holidays with Phil's family for the first time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Cheery Coulson Christmas with Clint

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ceria](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ceria/gifts).



> Many, many thanks to [Ralkana](http://archiveofourown.org/users/ralkana/pseuds/ralkana) for helping me brainstorm ideas, and [msraven](http://archiveofourown.org/users/msraven/pseuds/msraven) for cheerleading and reading through the story before I posted it. 
> 
> Written for Ceria for the [Lump of Coul Exchange. ](http://alumpofcoul.livejournal.com/)
> 
> Ceria, I tried to create a story that incorporates a lot of your likes that you mentioned. I really hope you like it. =)

Phil’s phone went straight to voicemail, and Sarah Coulson only hesitated a moment before leaving a message.

“Hey Kiddo. Hope everything’s okay. Your dad and I haven’t heard from you in a couple weeks. And we just wanted to check and see how things are with your new team. I’ll try your other number, but give us a call when you get a chance. Love you,” she said.

Sarah ended the call and then dialed Phil’s other, lesser used number to his apartment in New York. Two rings later, she was surprised to hear someone pick up the phone, and was even more surprised when she realized it was Clint on the other end.

“Clint? I didn’t expect you to answer this phone, is everything okay?" Sarah asked worriedly. Though Clint did live with Phil at the apartment, he was rarely there without Phil, often choosing to live at the Tower with his team whenever Phil was on assignment with his own team. Clint answering the apartment phone when she didn't expect anyone to be there was a potential cause for alarm. 

"Hi Sarah," he answered warmly, "Don't worry, everything's okay. I'm just checking to see what we have in terms of food around here before I go grocery shopping."

"Grocery shopping? I thought you were still going to be at the tower until Christmas Eve..."

"That was the original plan, yeah."

"Clint..." She said, a note of warning evident in her voice. "Where's Phil?"

"I can honestly tell you he's on his way to HQ, and I'll be picking him up in the morning," Clint said cheerfully. 

"Clint, what happened this time?" 

"I don't entirely know. As of right now, all I can tell you is that things didn't go according to plan, but his team worked everything out," he replied. "And Phil will be able to tell you the little bit that I'm not cleared to talk about in a couple days."

"He's okay though?"

"He sounded fine on the phone, Sarah. Tired but fine, I promise. I wouldn't lie to you about that; not after everything we've been through the past couple years," Clint said. 

"I know, I just worry about the two of you. How are you doing? You're not injured or anything are you?"

"No, I'm fine too. I'm on leave for the next week or two unless they really need me though. I'm kinda looking forward to spending all of the holidays with Phil for a change."

Sarah blinked in surprise at that. Phil previously only had Christmas Day off, and then his team was supposed to head off on another assignment the day after that. It was why he and Clint had opted to stay in New York for the holidays this year. 

"All of...He's free for all of Christmas?" She asked Clint in amazement. 

Sarah smiled as she heard the quiet happiness in Clint's voice. Though he and Phil had been together for almost seven years now, the last couple of years had brought them even closer together, and Clint had truly become a part of their family. She and David didn't get to see either of them that often, but they all kept in touch, calling and even video-calling whenever they could. As she thought about that, an idea began to form in her mind.

“Clint, do you have everything you need to celebrate the holidays together?” she asked carefully.

“No, we don’t have anything. We weren’t planning on spending more than Christmas Day together, so we didn’t bother decorating. Plus I have to buy a ton of food, since we really don’t have much that isn’t canned or frozen. And since it was just going to be me at the tower, I don't have anything there either.”

"You were going to be alone? Clint, why didn't you tell us?" Sarah asked in dismay. 

"It kinda just happened that way. The rest of the team had plans. They invited me to join them, but they knew I was going to spend at least a part of the holidays with Phil, so I didn't feel bad about turning them down for the most part. It wouldn't have felt right," Clint explained. "And it all turned out for the best, since it looks like now I'm going to get to spend almost two weeks with Phil." 

"I wish you'd told us, Clint. Maybe David and I could have come and spent Christmas with you."

"I wish I had," Clint said sheepishly, "Spending Christmas together sounds perfect. I just didn't want you to worry about me; that's why I didn't say anything."

“Do you think…” Sarah began, pausing to consider her words carefully. “Would you like to spend the holidays with us? David and I would love to see both of you, and we haven’t spent any part of the holidays together in years, Clint.”

Phil and Clint had barely managed to spend the holidays together over the years, and the four of them had only been able to spend Christmas together for one day six years ago. Even just the thought of spending Christmas with the two of them had her grinning from ear to ear. She waited for Clint to respond, hoping that he said yes to spending time together. 

“That sounds amazing, Sarah,” Clint said. He sounded shocked but happy at the same time as he continued, “I would love to spend the holidays together, but I need to talk to Phil first, and make sure that it’s actually an option. For all I know, Fury’s letting us stay in New York just so that Phil’s closer to HQ and can come in if he’s needed.”

Sarah huffed out a laugh and said, “If the director even thinks about stopping you both from coming out here, remind him that he owes me no less than three favors. And let him know that if we miss Christmas with you and Phil, it will cost him another favor.”

Clint laughed in response. “I’ll make sure he knows that,” he said. “How about I call you back once I hear from Phil?”

“That sounds perfect, sweetie. Let me know as soon as you can, okay?”

“I promise, Sarah. I’ll probably call you back tomorrow,” Clint said.

“Alright, I’ll talk to you soon, Clint,” Sarah said.

“Bye, Sarah,” Clint said as he hung up the phone.

Sarah looked down at the phone, an almost uncontrollable smile across her face. She walked into the living room, and looked at her husband. “David, you know how we were talking about how quiet it would be this Christmas?” Sarah smiled at David. Even if nothing was set in stone just yet, it looked like Christmas was going to be wonderful this year.

*~*~*

The phone rang again later the next day. Sarah barely paused to glance at the caller ID before she answered the phone.

“Clint?”

“Hi Sarah,” he said with a small laugh. “Think you can squeeze in a couple guests for the holidays this year?”

Sarah barely managed to keep from squealing in glee as she exclaimed, “Yes! Absolutely yes! Except that you two aren’t guests—you’re both family,” she told Clint. “Now, when can you get here?”

“I’m picking up Phil in a couple hours, and we’ll fly out sometime mid-morning. That way I won’t have to pack for Phil, and he can actually get some sleep after all the chaos of his last assignment,” Clint replied.

“It was that bad?” she asked, dismayed at the thought that her son had been through yet another terrible event. 

“Yes and no. I’ll let him tell you all about it—the director cleared you for some of the basics at least. More than enough for you to get an idea of the whole problem,” Clint said. “He’s perfectly fine though, I can promise you that.”

“That’s a relief,” Sarah said. “Will you call us tomorrow once you land? Or actually, if you let us know when you'll get here, David can pick you up."

"I think Phil's already planning out our transportation, but I'll call you before we take off tomorrow so that you know when and how we're arriving."

"Thank you, Clint. I can't even begin to tell you how excited we are to see you both tomorrow. I'm so happy that you and Phil are coming for Christmas," Sarah said. 

“We’re looking forward to it too, Sarah. We haven’t seen you in ages, and it’ll be nice to spend the holidays together for a change,” Clint agreed.

As they continued talking on the phone, Sarah began making a list of things she needed to get taken care of before they arrived. After all, this was going to be their first family Christmas with Clint; everything needed to be perfect.

*~*~*

David had teased her earlier about acting like a little kid, constantly running to the windows to see if Phil and Clint had arrived. She laughed in response, knowing that he was right. She just couldn’t contain her excitement at having her whole family together for more than a few hours or a day.

When they finally arrived, the doorbell had barely started to ring before Sarah had the front door open and her arms around Phil and Clint, squeezing them tightly. 

“You’re finally here!” she exclaimed, still not relinquishing her hold on the two of them.

Both Phil and Clint laughed and hugged her back tightly, despite the fact that they hadn’t even made it into the house yet. 

“We finally made it home for the holidays, Mom,” Phil said with a smile once Sarah loosened her grip on them. 

“It only took us a few years to succeed,” Clint added.

David chuckled as he joined them by the door. “What matters is that you’re here, and we’re all together this time,” he said as he leaned over his wife to give Phil a hug. He repeated the motion with Clint, and then carefully pulled his wife back into the house.

“Sarah, Honey, at least let them get in the house first. We’re not spending Christmas out on the porch, it’s supposed to snow tonight.”

“Oh hush, you,” she said, shoving him lightly. “You know I’m going to let them in,” she said, finally allowing the two to enter. “Letting them leave again is going to be the tricky part,” she added. 

“Mom—” Phil began.

“I know, I know. World saving job, super secret agency, Avengers, et cetera,” she said, nudging Clint as she mentioned his team. “That doesn’t make me miss you any less, it only makes me worry more.” She shook her head to dispel the worrying thoughts. “But enough about that, how was your trip? You must be exhausted after traveling all day to get here,” Sarah said. “Do you both want to rest up a bit before dinner?”

“It really wasn’t that bad, Sarah,” Clint said. 

“Clint’s right, we got a direct flight out here on a Stark Industries plane. Pepper insisted on that once she heard we were coming here,” Phil added. “So we’re fine with just putting our things away, and sitting down for dinner.”

“Perfect! The two of you are in your old room, Phil,” Sarah said. 

“Just be careful when you enter since we moved things around when we got the flooring changed and the upstairs bathrooms remodeled,” David added, explaining, “Things might not be where you’d expect them to be.”

“Oh, I’d almost forgotten about that,” Phil said, “Thanks for reminding us.” He turned to Clint and picked up half of their luggage, “Shall we?”

“Let’s shall,” Clint replied cheekily as he grabbed the other half of their things. 

As the two of them headed upstairs to unpack their bags, Sarah leaned back against David and they shared a quiet, happy smile.

*~*~*

As the sun rose on Christmas Eve, it was clear that the weather reports hadn’t lied. There was snow everywhere, and the view from the kitchen window was gorgeous. As Sarah set about making a pot of coffee for everyone, she thought about dinner the night before, and hearing about exactly what Phil had gone through. Though he hadn’t been hurt, he and half of his team had been taken hostage, leaving the remaining team members to stage a daring rescue that nearly failed completely. She shivered at the thought of how they’d come so close to losing Phil again, but at the same time, she felt relieved that at least he was able to tell her a little bit about his work these days depending on how public his missions were.

“Cold?” Clint’s voice asked suddenly from behind her.

Sarah jumped and turned around, and found Clint staring sleepily at her from the entrance to the kitchen. “A little cold, but I was thinking about dinner last night,” she answered him. 

He nodded, "I know what you mean. It scares me every day, knowing he's out there and that I have to trust others to keep him safe for me."

"Oh, sweetie," Sarah said, and she came over to him and gave him a hug. "You know that no matter what, we're here for you, right? Even if you just need to hear a familiar voice in the middle of the night when Phil can't be reached, we are always here for you."

He hugged her back, carefully, almost shyly compared to the day before. "Even at three am?" he asked with a hint of a smile on his face. 

"Even then. That's what family's there for," she replied. She paused and then laughed at herself. "Good morning, by the way. Did you sleep well?" She pulled away from Clint and walked over to the cabinet and pulled down another mug for Clint. 

"Amazingly well," Clint grinned, " I think that bed may even be comfier than the one we have at the Tower."

"Glad to hear it," she said. "Are you hungry?" She asked, pouring coffee into both mugs before handing Clint his. 

"Not yet, but by the time I finish this cup and two or three more, I will be," he replied. 

Sarah laughed at that. "Well we can't have that. Want to help me make breakfast for all of us?" 

"Sure," he answered, smiling easily. "What are we making?"

"Well, I was planning on french toast, but now I think I'm going to teach you how to make my Lucky Scones," Sarah said. 

"Mmmm I do love those. Phil said it's a family recipe?"

"It is! I've changed it a bit over the years, but at its core it has remained the same. Now go wash your hands so that you can help me," Sarah said, pushing him towards the sink."

Sarah and Clint spent the next hour baking scones for breakfast, and by the time they were ready to pull the finished scones from the oven, Phil and David were awake and downstairs too. 

They spent breakfast and the rest of the day, talking, laughing, and enjoying one another’s company. David and Clint spent part of the morning wrapping the last of their presents until lunch, and after lunch, Phil dragged Clint off for a short nap in the den. When Sarah walked by them on her way to the living room, she stopped and looked at them sleeping peacefully for a moment, smiling at the feeling of rightness that came from having them both at home. 

Throughout the rest of the afternoon, she caught herself watching her family interacting together, enjoying the knowledge that for once, everyone was at home and happy. Phil came over to her early that evening after he caught her watching them as they watched a game on tv. 

"Is everything alright, Mom?

In lieu of a response, Sarah reached out and pulled Phil into a hug. She leaned in after a moment and kissed him on the cheek. 

"Everything's fine kiddo," Sarah said, "I'm just so glad you're both here."

*~*~*

Later that night, they all headed for bed at an early hour, despite the fact that not a single one of them was sleepy yet. It was a long-standing Coulson family tradition that everyone would go to bed early so that “Santa” could fill the stockings at a reasonable hour. Over the years, it had evolved slightly, and now, every member of the household crept downstairs to add a little something to the stockings before sneaking back to bed.

This year, Sarah was the last person to add something to the stockings. She hoped her gifts went over well, particularly her gift of a copy of the house key for Clint. Even if he and Phil had only been there for a little over a day, it felt like they belonged in their home. And that’s what she wanted this place to be for both her son and the man she considered to be her son-in-law. 

As she climbed the stairs to head back to bed, she heard voices murmuring in the other room. She silently stepped towards the room with the intention of teasingly telling them to go to bed before Santa arrived, but before she could make a noise, the words inside filtered through to her. 

“Thanks for planning this with Mom,” Phil said quietly. 

“Thanks for agreeing,” Clint answered, sleepily. “I don’t think I’ve had such a nice, comfortable, and all around perfect Christmas before.”

“This is just the start you know. Next year they’ll have more time to plan, and more time to rope us into coming home early,” Phil said with a hint of laughter. 

“Mmm, that sounds nice. You’re sure Mom and Dad will invite us again?” Clint asked.

Sarah bit back a gasp as his words registered, and she tried to listen harder, desperate to hear every word that was said in the other room.

“Of course they will. If they had their way, we’d save the world from their living room,” Phil said. He paused for a moment then quietly asked, “Mom and Dad?”

“What about them?” Clint mumbled in response.

“That’s what you just called them. How long have you been thinking of them as Mom and Dad?” Phil asked him.

“The last couple of years? I dunno. It’s been ages, and it’s getting easier for me to think of them as my family too, especially now that we’re here,” Clint said. “You don’t mind?”

Through the door, Sarah could hear the sound of kissing, and she smiled in amusement, knowing that it was the easiest way for her son to answer him.

“Of course I don’t mind. And they won’t either. Clint, you have been a part of this family for the past seven years. Never doubt that,” Phil told him. “They think of you as their son-in-law, Clint. I know they’d love to hear you call them Mom and Dad, too.”

Sarah smiled at the closed door before her, and quietly stepped away before continuing down the hallway to her room where David was waiting for her. She quietly closed the bedroom door behind her as she made her way back to bed.

"Sarah? Is everything alright?" David asked as she settled in next to him and rested her head on his shoulder. “You took longer than I expected.”

"I’ll give you the details in the morning, but everything's perfect," she whispered, squeezing David's hand, "Our boys, our sons, are home for Christmas."


End file.
